


Just Following Orders

by pagetsknockers



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Discussion of Abortion, F/M, tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26202322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pagetsknockers/pseuds/pagetsknockers
Summary: Set sometime in the 1990's, Emily Prentiss is 19 and home from from Yale. She meets Agent Aaron Hotchner who works for her mother. Word around the house is that she's extremely moody, mysterious, and closed off. For some reason, Hotchner is infatuated with her. ||“Are you going to keep staring at me or are you gonna say something?” She said finally, flashing him a perfect smile. Aaron coughed, pushing his bowl away from him. He stayed silent. To be honest, he was at a loss for words. “I’m Emily. And you would be…?”
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	Just Following Orders

**Author's Note:**

> The timeline is a little off regarding the actual series- I just made Emily 19 and Hotch 28. Don't want to spoil anything but some plot points In the show will just be happening at an earlier time. I have a mentions of songs and movies that came out In the mid 90s but I didn't really set a specific year in the 1990s for this to take place. The only official year in this story is 2006. (also im aware of how god awful the formatting is. I fought with this website for over an hour before I gave up! LOL)

Agent Aaron Hotcher has been working for Ambassador Prentiss for 9 months now. He started in September, extremely nervous and not knowing what to expect. This was his first real important job anyways, and he didn’t want to mess it up. But now it’s the end of May and he’s settled in a bit. He no longer felt his stomach doing flips when he woke up in the morning, and he no longer fidgeted while looking into the eyes of the Ambassador as she told him his duties for the week. He was becoming increasingly more stoic- not that he cared. He knew he needed to be in his line of work. 

_ Beep. beep. Beep. _

“Mrrph” He grunted, rolling over and shutting off his alarm clock. 5:30 AM. Even after 9 months to start adjusting, Aaron Hotcher still wasn’t really a morning person. Peeling himself out of bed, he got ready for the day. The previous day Ambassador Prentiss had issued a meeting with him starting at 6:30 AM. Way too early for his taste but it’s not like he could complain. He stumbled into the bathroom, turning the sink on the coldest setting. Sticking his blue toothbrush under the water stream, he watched intently as the bristles became damp before applying his mint toothpaste. Why had the Ambassador called a meeting so early? The sound of him spitting into the sink echoed in his rather large bathroom. The room he was given to stay in was surprisingly boujee- not that he should have expected anything less from the Prentiss’. The sun began to rise, an orange hue spilling through the shades and into the room as Hotcher pulled on his black slacks and white button down. Opening his closet, he decided on a blue tie with little “C’s” on it- Chanel- the best tie he owned. It had been a gift from the Ambassador on his birthday. He was surprised to say the least when she placed the wrapped box into his hands. She never really was the type to show affection, or even kindness for that matter. I guess she was good at hiding her emotions...he didn’t really blame her for that. He shook his head, looking over at his black suit jacket before deciding it was getting far too hot to wear a whole jacket. Taking one last look at himself in the mirror, he rolled up his dress shirt sleeves before walking out the door. Some people may say that rolling up your dress sleeves is unprofessional- but he didn’t care. 

“Agent Hotchner! Good morning!” Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss smiled at Aaron as he stepped into her office. She placed the book she was reading back onto a nearby shelf before taking a seat at her desk. He noticed whenever he walked in, her nose was deeply embedded in a book. “Please, take a seat.” 

“Good morning Ambassador,” He spoke as he leaned back in the leather upholstered chair across from his boss. “What can I do for you?” 

“I just wanted to update you on security clearances, just a small change will be happening that’s all,” She began, her smile disappearing from her face as she began to speak again. “Someone is coming around who I need you to keep an eye on for me.” Aaron furrowed his brow at the Ambassador. She seemed to go cold very quickly. 

“Absolutely Ma’am, what’s his name?” Hotcher asked. By her facials, this person seemed to be very important. 

“Not his. Her. Emily Prentiss, my daughter,” The Ambassador sighed, leaning back in her chair. “She’s coming back from Yale. She is a...handful to say the least.” 

Aaron nodded. He had heard that The Ambassador had a daughter, though he’s never met her. Word around the workplace is that she was very much a wild card. “Dark, mysterious, and moody,”... Other agents words- not his. He knew that there was some sort of strain in Emily and Elizabeth’s relationship. She never spoke of Emily, and he’s never even seen a photo of her. No framed photos, and no family scrapbooks on coffee tables. 

“I’ll keep an eye on her, no problem.” Hotchner spoke. The Ambassador snorted.

“She’ll make it a problem for you. Wicked girl...only thinking about herself.” Aaron looked down at his feet as Elizabeth talked so low about her daughter. E _ mily is at Yale, how horrible can she be?  _ He thought. He snapped out of his thoughts as Ambassador Prentiss stood up out of her chair. “She’ll probably be here around 10am… you can’t miss her..” She said rolling her eyes. Emily couldn’t be  _ that  _ bad.. Could she?

Aaron sat at the kitchen island, eating a bowl of fruit parfait for his breakfast. The windows were open, letting in the warm air of the changing seasons. Soon he heard the door slam shut and one of the white-haired balding butlers walked in holding two Louis Voiutton travel bags. 

“Just bring them up to my room,” Aaron heard an unfamiliar voice call from the foyer. He looked up from his bowl of breakfast to see a young woman step into the kitchen. He looked her up and down quickly. She had dark brown hair, stopping just below her shoulders. She was wearing a red short sleeve top, it wasn’t quite a turtle neck... _ what do they call it? A mock neck?  _ Her skirt was a plaid mini- making her legs be on full display. Chunky Doctor Martens made a squeaking noise against the white tile as she stepped further into the kitchen. He looked back up to her face and he sucked in a breath- her makeup was minimal but dark. Her lip color is a muted red- almost brown. He saw it stained on the end of the cigarette she pulled out of her mouth quickly, lips making an “O” shape as she blew out smoke. 

“Are you going to keep staring at me or are you gonna say something?” She said finally, flashing him a perfect smile. Aaron coughed, pushing his bowl away from him. He stayed silent. To be honest, he was at a loss for words. “I’m Emily. And you would be…?” 

“Aaron Hotchner,” He finally said, standing up and extending his arm out for a handshake. Emily looked down at his hand and shook it before taking another drag of her cigarette. “I work for your mother.”

“Mhm,” She replied, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting. She usually only hires ugly old men. You’re quite a change of pace.” She flashed another dazzling smile, and there was a look of something in her dark brown eyes he couldn’t quite place. Everyone was right, she was mysterious. No one told him how stunningly beautiful the Ambassador's daughter was. 

“Oh well..maybe they just needed someone younger to do security clearances,” he eventually spoke, as Emily adjusted her Louis Vouitton over the shoulder purse. “I’m also supposed to be watching over you, I guess,” she smirked as he began to stutter “so..yeah. I guess we should get to know each other- or something…” Why was he so flustered?! This never happened to him. He usually was so stoic. Emily rolled her eyes 

“My mother wants you to watch over me? I’m 19 years old, I think I can watch myself.”

“Just following orders.”

“Mhm. Well, I guess it’s not too bad that  _ you’re  _ the one watching me. Much better than a lot of the men working in my home.” She smirked as she straightened out his tie, bright red fingernails standing out against the light blue fabric.”Bye Hotch,” she called out as she turned her heels and disappeared up the staircase. Aaron let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

“It’s Hotchner actually-” He attempted to call out, but he heard the noise of a door slamming shut. He shook his head as he went to go clean up his breakfast. He could already tell Emily Prentiss was not like any other woman around this house, and that scared him a little bit. 

_ Knock knock knock.  _

“What?” Emily grunted as she swung her door open, running a hand through her wet hair. She had just gotten out of the shower. 

“Hi. Um,” Hotch stuttered as he stood outside her bedroom door, a tray of hot dinner in his hands. He looked Emily up and down again, feeling like he was interrupting something. She was wearing only a large band tee ( _ seems to be nirvana?)..  _ that barely covered her black cotton boyshort underwear. He looked back up at her face and saw that it was makeup free- somehow she looked even more gorgeous than the first time he saw her. “You missed dinner, so I was told to bring this up to you.”

Emily watched his eyes go up and down her body, and she noticed how his cheeks became slightly flushed. She smirked. 

“Thanks Hotch, why don’t you come in?” She opened her door wider. 

“Oh I don’t think so ma’am I have a lot of work-”

“Did you seriously just call me ma’am?” 

“Sorry.” He replied and just continued to stand outside the door. Emily rolled her eyes and grabbed the tray from him, placing it down on her desk before returning to the doorway and grabbing his wrist.

“Emily-”

“Come on,” She cut him off, pulling him into her room and shutting the door. “I just want to have some fun!” She smiled as she let go of him, walking over to her nightstand and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. She pulled a bright pink lighter out of a nearby purse. 

“The Ambassador doesn’t allow smoking inside the house.” Aaron finally spoke, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Emily rolled her eyes as she collapsed onto her bed, dark hair spilling across the bed sheets. 

“Does it look like I give a shit about my mother’s stupid rules?” She spat at him as she took a long drag, letting the smoke fill her lungs. She felt relaxed already. Aaron stayed quiet. “That’s why I wasn’t at dinner. I try to stay away from her at every chance I get,” She sat up and looked at him. He changed out of his dress clothes and was in a pair of plain jeans and white t-shirt. “Sit down, you’re making me nervous.” She smiled deviously. Aaron scanned the room as he took a seat on a black beanbag in the corner of the room. Her walls matched the rest of the house, a kind of tan-ish color. There were a couple posters hung up around the room of different bands and TV-shows he recognized. A large stereo system lay on the floor by her desk, Just a Girl by Not Doubt was playing quietly. What he was surprised to see though, was 3 rows of bookshelves completely stacked with books. There were more books on her nightstand, and even more in piles on the floor.

“Like to read?” He asked. She looked at him and nodded. 

“I guess.” She replied as she stood up, walking over to her desk and perching on the edge of it. Aaron watched her closely as she put out her cigarette and picked up a silver fork and dug into the bowl of mashed potatoes on the tray. Her legs dangled off the edge of the desk, long, pale and beautiful. He knew he shouldn’t be looking at her like this but, how could he not? Emily looked up from the mashed potatoes and saw him quickly avert his gaze to the floor. 

“You can look you know,” She spoke

“What?”

“I don’t mind you looking at me,”

“Emily-”

“I like it.” She said nonchalantly as she put more food into her mouth. Aaron didn’t know what to say. This was his boss's daughter, not to mention 9 years younger than he was. God knows what kind of trouble he’d get into if he did anything. “So what do you want to do?” She asked, changing the subject. She didn’t seem embarrassed that she just confessed that she liked him looking at her. She seemed quite the opposite of embarrassed actually. 

“What do you mean?” He asked, shifting in the beanbag. 

“With your life I mean. You must have higher ambitions than just working here.” She shrugged, pulling her shirt down a bit. Aaron looked up at her and he saw a softness in her eyes he hasn’t seen before. 

“Well I think I want to be a lawyer. A criminal defense one. Or a prosecutor. But what I really want is to be in the FBI. The BAU to be exact. David Rossi is like an idol to me.” He spoke. He watched a genuine smile play at her lips, and her brown eyes seemed to begin to sparkle. 

“Me too! I’m studying criminology at Yale. Everyone thinks i'm crazy because I want to be a profiler. I also think being in the CIA would be fun,” She hopped off her desk and walked over to one of her many bookshelves. She dragged her fingers over the spines of the books, a few particles of dust flying off of them. She just got home from months away at school- they haven’t been touched in awhile. She stopped at the final one in the row and pulled it out. She smiled as she flipped to the first page, turning it around to show Aaron. “Signed by David Rossi himself!” She tossed the book at him and he caught it with ease. 

“Wow. You went to one of his seminars?” He asked, running his fingers over the black sharpie ink. 

“Yeah. Usually they don’t let freshman in but-”

“You must be good.” Hotch cut her off as he looked up from the book. She let the corners of her mouth turn into a small smile, but said nothing. A comfortable silence fell over the two as she went back to eating her dinner. Aaron closed the book and placed it next to him on the bean bag. He watched as Emily tucked her dark hair behind her ears. 

‘What happened?”

“What?” She looked up, brown eyes full of questions.

“Why is there tension between you and your mom?” Emily stayed silent as his question. “Do you rebel to get back at her? What happened?” He asked. Emily’s mouth formed into a straight line, and her eyes became dark. This was very different from the expression she just had on a minute ago. 

“Get out.” She looked down at her tray.

“Emily-”

“I said GET OUT.” Wow. Her mood changes fast.

“I'm sorry if that was too far I just thought that-” Aaron began as he stood up.

“You thought what? We had one little bonding thing. We aren’t friends. You work for me. Now get out.” She said,voice full of venom as she walked over to her bedroom door and swung it open. Aaron walked out into the hallway without a word. 

“Emily I’m sorr-” He was cut off by the door slamming him in the face. 

“Leave Hotch.” She yelled from the otherside of the door. So he left. 

The next morning Emily walked into the dining room, oversized Yale sweatshirt hanging on her body paired with satin sleep shorts. Her hair and makeup were already done for the day though, a dark smokey eye and nude lip. 

“Good morning Emily.” The Ambassador spoke from her seat at the dining table, gaze still down at the book she was reading. Black coffee sat in front of her untouched and steaming. 

“Shut up.” Emily spoke as she pulled a chair out to sit down, bowl of cereal in her hand. Hotch looked up from his government papers he was reading, being careful not to spill any of the coffee he was drinking on them. He watched as the Ambassador continued to read, unphased by Emily’s behavior. I guess this was a normal thing. 

“That was childish.” She finally said, turning the page. Hotch watched as Emily narrowed her eyes at her mother, taking a bite of what looked like frosted flakes. Her gaze shifted to Hotch and he gave her a small smile. She rolled her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ears. 

“Well I won’t be much of a bother to you today. I’m going out,” She huffed into her cereal. Elizabeth stayed quiet, enjoying her book too much to respond. Aaron watched as Emily picked up her bowl of cereal, exiting the room. He guessed she was going to finish her breakfast in her bedroom. He shook his head and looked back down at his papers. He still felt really bad about the night before. 

“Everything alright?” Aaron looked up to see the Ambassador looking at him. He sighed.

“I think I upset Emily last night. I was just trying to talk to her-”

“Don’t lose sleep over it,” Elizabeth cut him off. “She’s always moody. Never wants to open up to people. I swear to god I don’t even know her favorite color anymore. That’s just the way she is. Always in a bad mood...always keeping to herself.” and with that, she put her nose back into her book. Aaron watched as her coffee sat on the table, steam floating into the air and disappearing in front of his eyes. He didn’t like it when Emily was mad at him. But why did it bother him so much? He barely knows her. 

“Thanks for the advice, Ambassador.”

It was a beautiful day. The sun shone down on the Prentiss estate as birds chirped in the sky and leaves of trees rustled in the wind. Aaron sat out on the porch, resting against the back of a white wicker chair. Condensation from his water glass dripped onto the coffee table it was resting on, causing a small pool of water to get on some of his government papers. It was hot today- hotter than it’s been all season. He rolled his dress sleeves up as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His pen glided across the pages in front of him easily. That’s the thing about paperwork..it’s easy. Just time consuming. His writing was interrupted as he heard the front door swing open, he shot his head up to see if it was the Ambassador. He relaxed as he saw Emily stroll out the front door. She was wearing a black mini skirt with fishnets underneath, a white tank top that read “USA” was tucked into the waistband carefully. He watched as her black mary jane-esk shoes descended down the front steps and into the driveway. She pulled on a pair of dark sunglasses before entering an expensive looking car, one that he assumed was primarily hers. He always saw it parked in the garage, untouched. Today was the first day he’s ever seen it in the driveway. Before he could even think about it, Aaron was standing up and making his way over to the vehicle. He knocked on the tinted window and in a second it rolled down. 

“What do you watch Hotch?” Emily asked, turning down her music she just turned on. 

“Your mother assigned me to watch you, don’t you think I should come along?” He asked carefully. Emily pushed her glasses down just so he could see the way she rolled her eyes. 

“I’m a big girl Hotch. I think I can go out by myself,” She began. He noticed her eyes softened quickly, and soon that specific look was back in them. The look she had when they first had met in the kitchen. “Why do you want to come Hotch? You just need an excuse to look at me all day...is that it? Like what you see?” She asked playfully, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Hotch coughed before answering. 

“No. Just following orders.” He remained stoic and tried not to show the effect of what she just said had on him. Was she no longer mad at him? Is that why she’s being playful with him again? 

“Well Hotch. If you want to follow orders so badly, you can watch me tonight. Let me have my girls day....meet me in my room at 7.” She said with a mischievous smile on her face as she rolled her window up. Soon she was pulling out of the driveway, leaving Aaron there to stand alone in the hot sun. 

Aaron sat in his room, glancing at his clock every 10 second. Time seemed to be moving completely and utterly slow. It was 6:50. Okay. Only 10 minutes until he had to go to Emily’s room. Why was his stomach doing flips? God, he feels like it’s his first day in the Prentiss household all over again. He hadn’t seen Emily again since she told him to meet her at 7. He’d been in the study when he heard her stumble through the front door and into the foyer. She wasn’t exactly the quietest person...the opposite of her mother. He heard her shoes clomp on the tile and a sudden, “ _ Fuck my cigarette!”  _ She probably accidentally dropped it on the ground. He noticed she did that a lot. As expected, the footsteps went up the stairs and he heard her bedroom door slam shut. She never seemed to leave her room. 

Looking at the clock again, it was 6:55. Aaron stood up and exited his room, heading towards Emily’s. He could be a little bit early. The walk in the dimly lit hallway seemed incredibly short. It was only a second before he was knocking on the white wooden door. He heard noises from the other side- like someone was shuffling around. Soon the door swung open and there stood Emily Prentiss with a wide smile on her face. 

“Come in,” She grabbed his wrist again, tugging him inside. He noticed she’d changed into comfier clothes. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a tiny black tank top with the words “GAP” written across her chest. Aaron felt better about his own attire, as he never usually dressed casually. “You look nice out of a suit,” She told him as she dragged him over to her bed, making him sit down. “Usually people say the opposite. Like ‘oh you clean up nice,’ you know what I mean? But I like seeing you like this,” She spoke as she waltzed around her room, picking up books and placing them back on her shelf. He watched her, obsessed with how seemingly mundane tasks looked interesting when she did them. He noticed a TV was now placed on her desk and a stack of VHS tapes lay next to it. 

“Are we watching a movie?” He finally spoke, forgetting to even thank her for telling him that he looked nice. She turned around, smiling not fading. 

“Yup. And I have a few options because I don’t know what you like,” She began as she walked over to the pile of movies. She began picking them up and flashing them towards him. “We have Pretty Woman, It, Die Hard, Edward ScissorHands..” 

“Edward Scissorhands. That’s one of my favorites.” He spoke from his spot on her bed. He was surprisingly comfortable. His nerves were beginning to subside. Something about her smile made him feel at ease. 

“Perfect choice! I love this movie.” She exclaimed as she ran over to her bed, jumping on top of it. Aaron laughed as she crawled next to him, reaching over and turning off the lamp. About twenty minutes into the movie he looked over, and saw Emily taking a black hair tie off her wrist to tie her hair into a low ponytail. The only light in the room was from the TV, and the changing colors danced across her face, making her dark eyes seem to almost sparkle. Though he knew he shouldn’t, he kept looking at her. Drinking her in, not wanting to forget how she looked. Something about her drew him in. Perhaps it was the way she was different than all the professional people he surrounded himself with everyday. Maybe it was the fact that by looking at her you wouldn’t think she was extremely smart and a bookworm...he hated the fact that society judged a single person just on their looks and style choices. As he sat in thought, he realized he didn’t know much about Emily Prentiss at all. But he wanted to know everything. 

“What’s your favorite color?” He asked quietly. She tore her eyes away from the screen and looked up at him from her spot against her headboard. 

“Red,” She answered simply before looking back at the screen. “Why?” she suddenly asked. Aaron shrugged as she subconsciously scooted closer to him. 

“What’s your favorite animal?” He asked another question. She smirked and looked at him again. 

“Cats.”

“I knew it,”

“Knew what?”

“That you were a cat person,” He said and she rolled her eyes. She turned her body so she was looking at him rather than the screen.

“Alright, it seems we’re playing 20 questions or something. My turn,” She looked into his eyes. “If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?” Aaron blinked, thinking if he should answer honestly or not. 

“There's this small town in Maine,” He began hesitantly. “I would go all the time with my mom when I was a kid. There were a bunch of boats with fishermen and lobstermen. We’d sit on the benches looking out at the water...I’d gasp everytime a lobsterman pulled up a trap and it was just filled with lobsters. I’ve probably seen like, 100 lobster traps in my day but I’d still gasp like it was my first time.,” he smiled, but then it soon faded. “Haven’t been back since my mom died so...I guess I’d go there. I miss it,” Emily sat there just looking up at him. There was a certain amount of vulnerability in his eyes she’s never seen before. This scared her. She usually wasn’t one to waltz into serious situations. “What about you? Where would you go?” He looked down at her, and in an instant he saw her eyes change. Something glossed over, like she was sad. It was gone within a second and replaced with that look he saw when they were talking in the driveway. She took her hand and ran her red fingernails through his hair. 

“Why don’t we just watch the movie? My favorite part is coming up,” She gave him a smirk and they settled back into silence. He noted that Emily Prentiss does not like to open up. Perhaps it was his new mission to make her... he wanted to know more about her. Wanted to know her fears, her favorite things, and her hopes and dreams past working for the FBI. He hoped she would open up to him eventually. 

Over the next month Aaron and Emily made it a routine to meet in her room and watch a movie every Thursday night. When they weren’t watching movies or he wasn’t working they still always seemed to be with each other. Some nights were mundane, they’d just sit in each other's company while her nose was deep in a book and his was in some crossword puzzles. He noticed Emily and her mother had a lot of similarities, something he’d never tell her to her face. No matter what, both of them always seemed to be reading. He liked that. Some nights he’d hear music come blasting from her room, and the smell of cigarettes floating out into the hallway. He knew not to bother her on nights like these. Though they were hanging out and becoming increasingly more close, Emily’s mood was always up and down. He began to pick up on things. Like what not to bring up, what she did when she was upset..stuff like that. Though they were getting closer and closer by the day, she still never let anything get too deep. He knew her favorite food, (spaghetti and meatballs), her favorite shows, (90210 and Law and Order), and he knew that whenever she was sad she snuck out to the backyard to sit in the garden. He found her there one night, sniffing with tears running down her face. When he asked what was wrong she snapped at him, throwing her cigarette in the grass and hiding her face in her hands. She told him to go away repedialty but he didn’t budge. This caused her to wipe her tears away quickly and get that look in her eye.  _ Come on Hotch. Leave a girl alone yeah?  _ She’d drawl, reaching over to grab his tie. This is something Aaron specifically noticed. She used her sex appeal to get out of any conversation that was getting too deep or emotional. And sadly, it sometimes worked. Nothing had happened between the two of them, mostly because he wouldn’t allow it. This job meant too much to him. He didn’t want to get in trouble with The Ambassador. God knows what she would do if she found him involved with her daughter. But he’d find himself looking into her brown eyes, then down at her pouty lips. He’d shake his head and sigh, leaving her to cry in the dark alone like she’d ask. 

There was one night though, that he didn’t want to leave her alone. They were two months into their thursday night movie ritual, and he hopped out of bed to get ready for work just like any other thursday. He looked forward to this certain day of the week because he liked sitting in the dark with her. He loved her presence next to him, and sometimes she’d even lay her head on his side as she slipped into a deep sleep. That’s another thing he noticed about her...she fell asleep in the middle of movies a lot. Aaron lost track of how many nights he’d carefully move her head onto her satin pillowcase and throw her white comforter over her legs, tucking her in carefully. He’d smooth her hair back out of her face and just look at her. This was the only time she looked truly at peace. Even when she was reading she furrowed her brow, concentrating deeply on the story. He’d finish the night with turning off the TV for her, shutting her lamp off, and quietly slipping out into the hallway to fall asleep in his own bed. That was the routine. Except for this Thursday apparently. He walked down the hallway, ,making his way to the kitchen for his morning coffee , when he heard music blasting from her room. That’s weird. She never blasted music in the morning.  _ Don’t check on her Aaron. You know she doesn’t like to be bothered when there’s music playing.  _ But today was thursday. She was never upset on thursdays. Emily could be a moody, bitchy mess friday through wednesday but the second thursday came around, she was all smiles and happy-go-lucky. Before he could stop himself he knocked on her door once. Then twice. Then three times. 

“Emily?” He called, ear up to the door. “Emily it’s Hotch,” He called a little bit louder. He jumped back as the door swung open. His eyes widened suddenly looking at her, but he regained his composure quickly. Her hair was unbrushed and black makeup was smeared around her eyes. It looked like she’d been crying, slept with it on, and then cried again. Her eyes were red and puffy. He looked down at her feet and saw a couple of empty vodka nips. “Are you drinking this early-”

“Leave,” She cut him off, her voice hoarse from the amount of crying she must have done. It was 9am, had she slept at all? 

“Emily what’s wrong? I’ve never seen you like this?” He asked, stepping into her room despite her trying to block him off. He was larger than her, and she couldn’t avoid it. 

“Hotch please just get out,” She sighed walking over to her bed and collapsing down, grabbing a book off her night stand. 

“Emily” he began and he saw her roll her eyes. “I know I usually let you be alone but I’m seriously worried this time. I want to help you, I-”

“YOU CAN’T HELP ME!” She screamed, sitting up from where she was laying. Aaron stood there silently. “I’M NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN JUST FIX,” she began screaming again. He’s never seen her this upset before. Fresh tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“Em. I-” He was cut off with a book flying into the air. He dodged it just in time and the book slammed against the closed door behind him. “What the fuck was that Emily!” He yelled.

“GET. OUT.” She screamed at him again, hand reaching for another nearby book. Aaron looked at her, eyes full of hurt. He shook his head and exited her room. What did he do to upset her so badly? All he knew was that he wanted to help her. I guess some people just don’t want any help. 

It was 6:30 when he heard a knock on his door. Aaron looked up from the book he was reading and furrowed his brow. Who could that be? He’d be surprised if it was Emily. After her big blow up in the morning he didn’t see her all day. And if he did it was a blur of her running out of the kitchen, arms full of snacks. She’d ignored him completely before he heard the sound of her door slamming shut. He shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts before standing up and swinging his door open. There stood Emily looking up at him, freshly showered and with a new oversized band tee hanging off of her. She had a Pretty Woman VHS tape in her hands. They both just stood there looking at each other. 

“I’m sorry,” She said finally, and Aaron shifted. Out of all the months he’s known Emily, she’s never apologized. She was always rude and moody, but then snapped out of it hours later without any warning. Frankly he didn’t know that she was capable of being sorry. “Don’t make me say it again,” She spoke. “You know how hard it is for me to say it at all.”

“I appreciate the apology,” He replied.

“So can we watch our movie?” She asked, eyes full of hope. Aaron sighed and stepped out into the hallway and began to follow her towards her bedroom. That was the thing about Emily. He always gave in. 

Her room was quiet. Very quiet. He noticed for the first time a hum of a central air conditioner. Whenever the two of them were in here, they were always talking. Or a movie was on. Or she had her stereo playing, making him listen to her favorite bands. But now the only noise was the sound of Emily shuffling around, getting the movie ready. It was weird. Emily always talked. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, he wanted to hold her in his arms and whisper in her ear that everything would be okay. And as much as he knew he shouldn’t, he wanted to kiss away the sadness she had etched into her expression. He knew better than to do that though. She’s made it very clear that she needs no one's help. She made it clear that she can handle everything on her own. Aaron thinks she says this because she’s actually never gotten help before. He knew her father wasn’t around and there’s no way Ambassador Prentiss was ever there for her. His heart breaks for Emily really, but there’s no way he’d tell her that. 

“Aaron?” He snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice. 

“What?” He asked, looking up at her. She was standing across the room fiddling with the TV remote.

“I don’t think…” she stopped and took a breath. “I don’t think I want to watch a movie.” She looked down at her feet.

“Well, okay. What do you want to do?” He asked, adjusting the way he was sitting on the bed. She stayed quiet, not looking up from the ground. He silently looked at her. And then he heard it. A quiet sob left her and he noticed her shoulders start to shake. “Em?” He whispered. She looked up at him and Aaron thought his heart quite literally broke. There were tears streaming down her face. He’s never seen her look so broken.

“Hotch. I’m sad.” She finally said. Aaron was on his feet in an instant, walking towards her with extended arms. She fell into him and began to really sob into his shoulder. Her response was so simple, but yet it wasn’t. Emily Prentiss was never sad. She never let anyone see her break. Until now. Hotch pulled her over to her bed, sitting them both down. She cried into his shoulder, his shirt coming wet with her tears. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered in her ear as he ran his fingers through her dark hair. “It’s going to be okay.” Emily pulled her head from his shoulder, looking up at him carefully. He looked down at her, cradling her face. He wiped a tear away with his thumb. She looked down at his lips. 

“Kiss me,” she breathed. Hotch froze.

“Emily I don’t-“

“Please.” She whispered. Her eyes darted all over his face. He didn’t see that dark look in her eye she had when she was playing with him. So he leaned in and kissed her. He kissed her like he was never going to kiss her again. Emily allowed herself to be pushed down into the mattress, for him to be hovering over her with his fingers in her hair. She leaned her head back into the pillows, allowing easy access to her neck which he took. She whined as he sucked gently, and she felt tears start to spring back up in her eyes. Soon he was hovering over her again, their dark brown eyes locking together. 

“Don’t shut me out.” He spoke, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her nose. Emily closed her eyes, allowing a few tears to roll down her cheeks. 

“I’m sorry for how I acted today. It wasn’t fair to you.” She began as he lowered down to kiss her neck again. She snaked her arms around him, holding him like if she were to let go he’d disappear. 

“What happened Em?” He whispered into her neck, and she pushed him to her side so that he was laying next to her. She turned to look at him as he brushed some of her hair out of her face. She swallowed thickly.

“You know how you asked me about my mom? Why we hate each other?” She began carefully. Her eyes looked everywhere except for into his. She was nervous, he could tell. “Today marks 4 years.” She said quietly as she began to cry again. Aaron sat there confused. 

“4 years?” He asked carefully, lifting his hand to wipe away her tears once more. 

“When I was 15 I did something I shouldn’t have. It was dumb,” she stopped to catch her breath. “I got pregnant.” And at that she broke again. Her body began to shake with sobs and Aaron silently pulled her into him. He let her cry, as he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. “I told my mom,” she began again. “She got so angry at me. So fucking angry. It was the only time she’s ever physically hit me. She slapped me across the face and told me she was taking me to her doctor to get an abortion.” Aaron sucked in a breath.

“I’m so sorry,” he spoke softly.

“I didn’t want to. I wanted to keep it. As much as an inconvenience it was, that was still my baby,” she leaned up to look him in the eyes finally. “And 4 years ago today was the appointment. I lost my baby.” She took her free hand and wiped her nose. “And, don’t get me wrong..I’m all for women getting the option to choose! I just- I don’t know. For me personally, I wanted my baby. My mother made me give it up. I hated her for it. I still hate her for it.” She spat out quietly, looking down at where Aaron placed his hand on her side. 

“I’m so sorry. I’ll never know what it feels like to have your child taken away from you like that but..” He trailed off as he looked deeply into her eyes. He felt so horrible, he didn’t even know what to say. 

“Shhh you don’t have to say anything,” She whispered before planting a small kiss on his lips. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart thumping. He stayed quiet, leaving a kiss on her head and running his fingers through her hair once more. He saw her physically relax at the touch. They lay there for a little while and he soon saw her eyes slip closed and felt her breathing even out against him. 

“It’ll all be okay,” he whispered in her ear, and she stirred slightly before subconsciously grabbing onto him tighter in her sleep. This Thursday he allowed his eyes to shut while still laying in her bed. He held her through the night, and he knew he was getting into something that might be messy down the line. But he didn’t seem to care. 

  
  


“Hotch.” 

“Mmmrph.”

“Hotch..”

“Shhhh”

“Hotch!” Emily finally yelled, picking up a pillow and slamming it into his head. He jumped up at this, groaning. 

“Seriously?” He sighed, rubbing the top of his head. He looked at his surroundings and saw he was in Emily’s room. Oh shit. What time was it? He ripped the covers off himself in a panic. “What time is it?!” He asked looking around for his shirt he must have taken off in his sleep. Emily laughed at him from the doorway leading into the bathroom. She tugged on her black GAP top she was wearing. That’s when he noticed she was just wearing that and a black thong. She walked over to him, draping her arms over his shoulders and began kissing his neck. 

“It’s 7:30, don’t worry. You don’t have to be anywhere until 9 correct?” She spoke into his neck between kisses. He groaned as he placed his hands on her hips, feeling the black cotton under his fingertips. 

“Emily we could get in serious trouble,” He began as she started kissing lower and lower. She eventually looked up at him and smiled wickedly. 

“That’s part of the fun, isn’t it?” She ran her hands down his torso stopping at the waistband of his sweatpants. 

“Emily..” He warned, looking down at her. She looked at him with a smirk and batted her eyes. 

“Yes Hotch?” She asked innocently. He leaned down and kissed her hard, slipping his tongue into her mouth. He pulled her close as she slipped her hands into his hair, tugging lightly. She groaned as she pushed him onto the edge of her bed, breaking them apart. She sank down to her knees between him and tugged on his sweatpants. Hotch sat there panting, drinking in the image of Emily Prentiss on her knees in front of him.

“Wait wait, are you sure?” He breathed, grabbing her chin with his hand and forcing her to look up at him. She smirked and her eyes were the darkest he’s ever seen them. 

“I’ve been wanting to do this since the first day I saw you in my kitchen,” She spoke as she palmed him through his boxers. He leaned his head back and groaned at the contact. 

“Oh fuck,” He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. She felt him get increasingly harder in her hands. Soon she was pulling down his boxers and she immediately took him into her mouth. She moaned around him as he groaned. He looked down to see her moving along him, free hand holding him in place. As she moved up, she let her tongue swirl around his tip before moving back down again. Hotch’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. She released him from her mouth with a  _ pop  _ as she replaced her mouth with her hand and smiled up at him through her lashes. 

“You like that baby?” She spoke to him, maintaining eye contact. “Do I make you feel good?” She continued, putting her mouth back on him. 

“Yes, oh god you’re so bad.” He groaned, still looking into her eyes. He felt himself becoming increasingly more close as she sped up her rhythm. “Sucking off the person who’s supposed to be working for you,” He breathed, closing his eyes and reveling in the feeling of her lips on him. This caused her to moan around him. She was dripping in her own panties just from the way he was speaking to her. She used her free hand to fondle him and she saw his thighs tense up. 

“Oh my god Emily I’m going to cum,” He moaned, taking his hand and tugging on her hair roughly. She kept her mouth on him as he groaned. She wanted to taste him. Soon he was spilling into her, moans echoing throughout her bedroom. Thank god she was in a separate wing of the mansion, not near anyone's offices. Emily swallowed as she stood up from her knees, wiping the corners of her mouth. Aaron sat breathing heavily, coming down from his high. 

“Wow,” He finally spoke, laughing as he opened his eyes to look at her. She was already getting changed for the day, ass on full display as she bent over to get a pair of jean shorts out from a drawer. “You don’t want me to-”

“You owe me later,” She cut him off, turning around and giving him a wink. 

Aaron sat in the green grass of the garden, watching the sun set over the horizon. The sky was a beautiful shade of orange and pinks and purples. He leaned back, letting himself lay down as his mind drifted to Emily. His heart raced at the thought of her kissing his neck and sinking down to her knees. He hadn’t seen her all day, as he had duties to fulfill and she seemed to drive off in her Mercedes right after he slipped out of her bedroom in the morning and tiptoed back to his own. He heard The Ambassador talking to someone over the phone, mentioning something about how Emily was on her way to the “meeting”. Probably something for Yale, he figured. He felt his heart twinge slightly, and he realized that for some reason he was missing her. 

“Hey hot stuff,” He heard suddenly, the thump of a body laying down next to him made him turn his head. Emily’s hair was splayed out across the grass, her skin glowing under the orange sky. She smiled at him. “I missed you today. Don’t tell anyone I said that.” She turned to face him and rubbed his cheek with her hand. It was surprisingly intimate. She didn’t strike him as someone who was intimate often. 

“I missed you too,” He spoke, looking into her eyes and covering her hand with his own. She giggled as she leaned in to kiss him. She surprised him by kissing hard, immediately biting down on his bottom lip and practically laying on top of him. 

“I’ve been thinking about this all day,” She groaned as she moved lower. Aaron took his hands and laced them through her hair and tugged roughly, pulling her head up so they were looking eye to eye. “If I remember correctly, you do owe me something.” She smirked at him, licking her lips. In an instant Hotch was pushing Emily off of him, pulling her up as he stood. 

“Follow me. It’s too open here.” He told her as he pulled her along, running into the house and up the stairs. Emily giggled like she was 15 again, hair flowing behind her as she allowed Hotch to yank her down the hall and into his bedroom. She was laying on her back in an instant, Hotch’s soft sheets feeling like a cloud against her skin. She quickly ripped her top off, not wanting to waste any time. Luckily, she wasn’t wearing a bra that day. Hotch leaned over her, eyes wandering down to her chest. 

“God you’re so beautiful,” He whispered, and he truly meant it. She looked like a goddess laying below him. Her dark eyes became soft for a second as she looked at him. “I mean it,” he whispers again, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. The softness is gone a second later and she’s roughly grabbing him by his hair and pulling him down towards her lips. 

“Shut up,” She spoke before connecting their lips. Hotch moaned against her, becoming extremely aware of the fact that he was still wearing clothes. He felt her bare breasts press against him through his dress shirt and he so badly wanted to feel her soft skin against his own. Quickly taking off his shirt, he groaned again at the feeling of their bare skin touching. His head moved down to her chest as he took one nipple into his mouth and began kissing softly. Her chest heaved below him as she looked up to the ceiling, small wines escaping her when he flicked his tongue just right. “I need you, I need you,” she began to plead, legs subconsciously opening farther and farther around his hips. Hotch hummed and smirked at her pleas. Emily Prentiss didn’t seem like a beggar, but here she was under him with flushed cheeks and hard nipples. His hands traveled down, unbuttoning her denim shorts. She lifted her hips up, assisting him as he pulled them down her long legs and discarding them to the corner of the room. 

“Red lace? I love it,” He breathed, looking back up to her face. She ran her bottom lip between her teeth, saying nothing. “But it has to go.” and with that he was hooking his fingers around the lace and tugging down and off of her body. Emily sucked in a breath as her hot center made contact with the cold air of his bedroom.

“Kiss me. Kiss me please,” it came out barely audible, Emily couldn’t even recognize herself when she said it. Usually she was always the dominant one in bed, powerful and controlling. As she was under Hotch, she wanted him to take care of her. She wanted him to kiss her and tug her hair and make her forget her own name. She wanted his hands around her neck and her wrists bound above her. She didn’t know why- this wasn’t like her. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as Hotch sucked on her neck hard, and chills erupted over her as she felt his hand snake down her body. His fingers ghosted over where she needed him most and she groaned. Her groan turned into a full moan as he slipped a finger inside her. She was already so wet. He continued his movements, slipping a second finger in. Her moans and whimpers became louder with every thrust of his hand, her hips rocking up to meet his movements. 

“Oh my god I love your noises. So vocal baby,” He grumbled into her ear, speeding up his pace. Emily moaned again. 

“How can I not be?” She replied with a huff that turned into a scream as his finger hit that perfect spot and his thumb pressed down on her clit. He kept up his movements as she squirmed around in the sheets, noises still spilling out of her. Aaron couldn’t believe how wet she was, his hand absolutely drenched. He knew he was going to have to change his sheets later. He felt her start to clench around his fingers and he looked up at her, smirking. 

“Oh god, oh god,” She began squealing, hands searching for something to hold onto. She anchored herself by lacing her fingers in his hair as her legs began to shake. The room seemed to be spinning. “I think I’m gonna-” she cut herself off with a scream as she began to cum, but to Hotch’s surprise when he removed his fingers from her she was even more wet. She squirted onto his sheets, scream lowering to a whimper. He lifted his fingers to his mouth, sucking them clean.

“Holy shit.” he spoke, hovering over her and leaving a kiss on her temple. Emily lay there in silence as her chest heaved, coming down from her climax. 

“You know,” she began. “I didn’t even know I could do that,” She giggled, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. “A guy has never actually made me cum before. You’re the first.” She finished. Smile plastered on her face as Aaron removed her hands to look at her. 

“You said that I owed you.” He winked. Emily giggled again as she leaned into him. All she felt was pure bliss. Well, pure bliss and also Aaron Hotchner hard against her thigh. She smiled as she quickly sat up and straddled him, resting her hand on his cheek and feeling the slight stubble he had going on. He sucked in a breath as she rubbed against him, that same darkness filling her eyes again. She silently took hold of the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down and grabbing his length. Aaron groaned in response, the back of his head pushing into the pillows. 

“I want to ride you,” She spoke, rubbing him up and down with her hand. He couldn’t even find words to speak, so he just nodded his head. He couldn’t believe this was happening. The Ambassador’s daughter straddling his waist and stroking his cock. 

“Emily…” He moaned as she lifted herself up, and then slid herself back down on him. She grabbed his shoulders as he filled her up, stretching her walls. He felt so good. She sat there for a second, getting used to the feeling of him inside her before she looked down at Aaron and nodded. She began to move her hips, grinding down on him slowly. “You feel so good baby, you’re so tight” He spoke, watching her closely. She smiled as she flipped her hair out of her face, picking up pace.

“Mmmm, Hotch oh god,” She moaned, head flying backwards as she began bouncing on top of him and he started to move his hips to match hers. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” She chanted, digging her nails into his shoulder skin. They picked up their pace, the sound of skin slapping filling the quiet room. Emily’s moans and screams bounced off the walls as they moved together. 

“Mine,” the words tumbled from his lips as their eyes met. “My little bad girl,” He spoke as her nails dug deeper in her. He felt her tighten around him as he spoke. She liked dirty talk. “So fucking bad…” he whispered, pushing deeper inside of her. Emily screamed as he hit her g-spot, her senses at an overload. Before she knew what was happening Hotch was flipping them over so her back pressed into the soft mattress. 

“Choke me,” was all she could say as her eyes slipped closed. The feeling of him pounding into her hurt her so badly but felt so good. In an instant his hand was around her throat, choking her as she whined. The bed creaked as he took his other hand to move her legs from around his waist to over his shoulders, sliding into her even deeper. “Oh fuck, yes yes yes,” She chanted everytime he slid back inside her. Emily’s mind at this point was a scattered mess of profanities. He hurt so good. She squealed as he found that spot again, rocking into her repeatedly. “Right there, oh my god don’t stop I’m going to come!’ She screamed, hand flying towards the headboard. Hotch tilted his head back as he felt himself start to become close. He tightened his grip around her neck as his thrusts became sloppy, and soon she was screaming his name as she became undone. Seconds later he let go of her neck, groaning as he came inside her. He collapsed on top of her, trying to regain enough composure to slip out of her and lay by her side. They lay in silence, looking up at the ceiling before he heard her start to laugh. Soon he began to laugh with her, sitting up to lean against the headboard. 

“Wow.” was the first word he said. Her laughs began to fade away. 

“Yeah. Wow.” She said before slipping out of his bed to find her underwear and clothes. 

“That was amazing,” He spoke, pulling the sheet to cover his crotch. 

“It was,” She replied, sliding on her shorts and then her top. She looked at the alarm clock beside his bed. “Almost time for dinner,” She smiled before heading towards the door. “I’ll see you down there?” She asked, turning the knob. 

“Yup.”

“Great.” She spoke as she stepped out into the hall. She silently walked back towards her room, arms crossed over her torso. As she walked she dragged her feet, her chest tightening with every step. God was the hallway always this long? It was only when she shut her bedroom door behind her did she allow herself to cry.

_ Why are you crying? You’re so stupid.  _ She looked at herself in the full length mirror that sat next to her door. Her eyes were already red and her cheeks were puffy. She looked down at her neck to see the startings of a bruise- one from kissing and one from his chokehold.  _ You have sex all the time? What is wrong with you?  _ She shook her head. Emily knew in her heart that she had feelings towards Aaron. Knew it the second he showed that he wanted to be there for her, that he cared about her. This wasn’t who she was. Emily was a girl who walked around, getting guys wrapped around her finger before sleeping with them and then eventually never talking to them again. She didn’t do emotions. Not since the incident with her abortion. She never wanted to get attached to someone or something ever again. She couldn’t deal with loss.  _ Get it together.  _ She walked into her bathroom, fixing her smudged makeup before applying foundation and powder to her neck. She didn’t give a shit if her mother saw or not- Elizabeth usually didn’t ask questions. She already thought Emily was dirty after what she did when she was 15, but just in case she covered up the bruises...for Hotch’s sake. She walked over to her window, gazing out to the ground below her. Her room had one of the best views in the whole house. It overlooked the garden, so she could see the fountain, rose bushes, and small hedge maze. If you looked out farther you could make out mountains in the distance. It was too dark to see the mountains now. Emily sighed as she turned around to look at herself in the mirror again.  _ You will not fall in love with him. It’s sex. That’s it.  _ She looked into her own eyes and forced a smile on her face. She could do this. She can just be casual. That’s who she is...she’s casual.  _ If I say it enough...I’ll start to believe it.  _

They really should be more careful. If anyone knew or found out what they had been doing, they would get in serious trouble. Obviously. Emily knew her mother would lock her in her bedroom and throw away the key, and Hotch knew his career would be over in an instant. But...that didn’t seem to stop them. They had sex. Everywhere. Emily would be walking down the hall, book in hand when someone would grab her arm, tugging her into the bathroom. Her skirt and panties would be pulled down in an instant and she was bent over the counter, looking into Hotch’s eyes through the reflection of the mirror as he fucked her brains out. He’d be working in the study, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he flipped through pages of government documents. Suddenly his chair would be scraping against the hardwood floor as and before he knew what was happening Emily Prentiss would be in front of him on her knees, taking him into her mouth. One night Emily lay in Hotch’s bed, cigarette in hand. She still was sensitive from her climax as his phone rang on the nightstand next to her. Hotch reached over her, picking up the phone. 

“Hotchner,” He spoke, putting his nose into Emily’s hair and placing a kiss to her head. She giggled and swatted him away. 

“Hotchner where are you?!’ The Ambassador asked in a hurry. Aaron practically tossed Emily off of him as he sat up in his bed.  _ What the fuck? _ She grunted.

“Ambassador!” He said in surprise, catching Emily’s attention.  _ What the fuck?  _ She mouthed over to him again. The Ambassador never called her agents personally- there was someone hired to do that. “I’m in my bedroom, why Ma’am?” He answered, hopping out of bed to find his boxers. 

“I checked in Emily’s room and she’s not in there. I’m extremely nervous because I thought I heard her screaming. Please can you find her? I don’t know where she is…” Emily erupted into giggles as she listened in on the call and took another drag of her cigarette.Aaron whipped around mouthing  _ shut up!  _ “Hotchner did I just hear Emily laugh?” The Ambassador questioned through the phone. Emily shot him an apologetic look. 

“Yes Ma’am she’s here with me,” He spoke into the phone, swatting away Emily’s hands as she reached to grab his waist. “I heard her screaming so I went in to check on her. Turns out she..uh.. had a... uh...nightmare and I thought it was safer if she finished her nap on my couch. I understand if that was completely unprofessional of me-” He began his lie. Both Aaron and Emily knew the real reason why she was screaming so loud.

“No Hotchner you’re fine! I actually appreciate you being there for Emily. Her nightmares do get bad. I’m just glad you were around. If she’s any trouble or acts out you let me know. I’ll speak to her about it...Bye bye.” The Ambassador spoke before promptly hanging up. Emily rolled her eyes.

“Since when did my mom care about my nightmares?” She questioned, angrily putting out her cigarette in the ashtray Hotch kept for her on the nightstand. 

“You get bad nightmares?” Aaron questioned softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. He grabbed Emily’s exposed calve and rubbed it softly. She nodded.

“Yeah. It’s whatever though..I don’t want to talk about it,” She moved her leg out of his hand, reaching for her clothes that were on the ground next to her. Aaron stayed silent. He didn’t want to push her to talk about something she didn’t want to open up about. He knew she had a temper, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her. He watched as Emily kept her head down, silently dressing herself again. She couldn’t help but feel bad for shutting Hotch out like that, but she just couldn’t open up.  _ It’s just sex, you don’t care about him like that. It’s just sex. It’s just sex. It’s just sex.  _

“She cares about you, you know,” He spoke finally, cutting through the silence. Emily froze but didn’t look up. “If she didn’t care about you she wouldn’t have called me. There was urgency in her voice.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. She hates me.” She spat, walking into her bathroom to retrieve a brush from the vanity. She started untangling knots out of her hair. 

“Please don’t. You know I’m just trying to help.” He spoke sadly, walking over to stand in the doorway of the bathroom. Emily put her brush down, brown eyes full of sympathy. 

“I know. I know, I’m sorry.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around his bare torso. His large arms engulfed her, pulling her in close. She tucked her head under his chin and sighed.  _ It’s just sex. It’s just sex. It’s just sex.  _

Beads of sweat dripped down Aaron’s forehead as he made his way down to the study. He had a few hours to kill before him and Emily had plans to make dinner together. The Ambassador was scheduled to be in France that night so she had sent the usual chef home, meaning they pretty much had the whole house to themselves. As he made his way through the foyer he bumped into Emily who was too busy rummaging around in her bag to pay attention to where she was walking. 

“Oh shit sorry,” She gasped, jumping back in surprise. “Oh! Hey Hotch.” She smiled at him. Aaron looked her up and down before giving her a suspicious look. She was wearing a black pencil skirt, white button up with a blazer thrown over it, and black stiletto heels. Her makeup was at a minimum and her hair was neatly tied back into a low ponytail. 

“Alright who are you and what have you done with my Emily?” He joked. Emily rolled her eyes and pretended not to notice how her cheeks get flushed at his use of “ _ MY Emily.” _

“I know I’m dressed like I’m 35,” She scoffed, pulling her leather bag farther up on her shoulder. “I have a meeting.” she told him, walking towards the front door. Aaron grabbed her arm and pulled her into him so her back was pressed into his front. He rested his chin on the top of her head as they swayed back and forth for a second. Just being held in his arms felt nice. “I seriously have to go,” She said as he began to plant soft kisses on her scalp. 

“What’s the meeting for anyway?” He asked, and Emily tensed against him. 

“Um, it’s boring. You wouldn’t care,” She started, spinning around to face him. 

“If it involves you then I care,” He smiled down at her. “Something for Yale?”

“No. Well, yes. Actually no. Um, I can’t say.” She spoke quickly, averting his gaze and pushing herself off of him. Aaron looked at her questioningly. 

“Okay..” He laughed at her while she straightened out her blazer. 

“I seriously have to go,” She said again, slipping out the door quickly.

“Alright, bye-” and he was cut off by the door closing. Aaron shook his head and continued towards the study. That was weird. 

The large white windows in the kitchen were wide open, inviting the cool summer air inside the house. Crickets chirped in the darkness as the smell of pizza filled the air. Quiet music floated throughout the house as Emily placed more toppings on the pizza she had in front of her. Hotch thought it would be a fun idea for them to make dinner together instead of ordering in. The night started with Emily messing up her pizza dough right away, and Aaron soon realized that she didn’t know how to cook...at all. Her sauce to cheese ratio was all off and she huffed in frustration, looking over at Hotch who was preheating the oven. He couldn’t help but smile as his heart swelled at the sight of her. She has flour on the tip of her nose and on her cheek. He strode over to her, pinning her between his body and the counter. He rested his hands on the marble on either side of her, lifting one to wipe away the flour on her cheek. She leaned back and laughed, not knowing the pizza sauce jar was behind her. She knocked it over, the red sauce spilling all over Hotch’s hand. He gasped and lifted his hand up, attempting to wipe it on Emily’s shirt. She screeched, a huge smile on her face as she dodged his hands quickly. Pushing past him, she ran away trying to avoid getting sauce all over herself. He chased her around the kitchen island, their laughs filling the kitchen. He eventually caught up, grabbing her by the waist. She screeched again, “ _ Hotch!”, a _ nd he went to wipe sauce onto the tip of her nose. She caught his wrist quickly before he could pull off his sauce on the nose plan. The air in the room shifted as their eyes met, grip on his wrist still tight as ever. She remained her eye contact as she slowly guided his hand up to her mouth, and Hotch watched as her eyes became dark. She took one finger into her mouth and sucked the sauce off slowly. 

“Don’t play with me baby,” He whispered, watching closely as she added another one of his fingers into her mouth. She hummed around his fingers before taking them out of her mouth, a smile playing at her lips. 

“You wanna know what I’m thinking?” She asked him, draping her arms over his shoulders. Aaron tilted his head in question. “I’m thinking,” she began, pulling them so her back was resting against the counter once more. “I’m thinking about how I want you to take me on this counter right here. Right now.” Upon hearing this, Aaron wasted no time wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up onto the counter. She moaned as he dove straight to her neck, sucking the soft skin. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him in as close as possible. Soon her shirt was off and she sat in her kitchen in only a lace bra, and Aaron Hothcner was leaving hickies on her cleavage. 

_ Ring! Ring! Ring! _ Aaron groaned at the interruption. Emily lightly pushed him off of her before hopping off the counter. 

“Can’t you just let them leave a message?” Hotch whined, crossing his arms as he watched Emily walk over to the phone. 

“Sorry, I’m expecting a call,” She told him, eyes apologetic. She picked the phone up off the receiver and held it up to her ear. “Hello sir,” She spoke in her most professional voice. It was funny really, hearing her voice like that when she’s just standing in a bra and her skin was covered in hickies. Aaron watched her look over to him before turning her back. “Une seconde, monsieur.” She spoke French into the phone. He looked at her confused. He couldn’t get any answers though because she was already scurrying out of the kitchen and into the study, shutting the door behind her. Who was that, and why was she speaking french? Was it so he couldn’t hear what their conversation was about? He could vaguely hear her voice coming from behind the closed door of the study, not that he could understand it anyway. He didn’t want to intrude, so he changed his focus onto the pizzas. Aaron cleaned up the spilled sauce on the counter and then slid their food into the oven to cook. 

“Where were we?” He heard a voice call from behind him about 5 minutes later. He watched as Emily slinked into the room, reaching for him. Aaron smiled wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his palms on her ass and pulling her close to him. 

“What was that call about?” He asked her, his curiosity getting the better of him. Instead of answering, Emily just smiled up at him while moving her hand down to his crotch. Hotch watched as she sunk to her knees, palming him slowly. She sighed and leaned his head backwards, forgetting all about the phone call. 

Over the next few days, Aaron noticed Emily was spending more and more time with him. She always seemed to want to be around him all day, at every second. Usually they both let each other do what they needed to do during the day, and met up together after the workday was over. But as Aaron worked on boring case files, she sat across from her reading books or magazines. 

“This stuff is really boring Emily,” He spoke, not raising his head up from the manilla folder in front of him. 

“No it’s not!” She replied, voice far too chipper. Hotch raised his eyebrow, looking up at her. She bit her lip. “Okay okay yeah it’s probably boring.” She agreed, sighing and closing the book she was reading. “I just want to spend time with you,” She said in a small voice, sounding almost embarrassed. He smiled at her, rubbing her leg with his foot under the table. This behavior was odd, but he didn’t question it. As much as he cared for Emily, he wasn’t blind to the fact that half the time she kept herself closed off. She rarely ever got sentimental, but when she did he loved it. He assumed that she wanted to be around more because it was mid-august, so summer was coming to an end. They discussed briefly about her going back to Yale, but he didn’t want to suffocate her. It’s not like they were dating or anything. To be honest, they both didn’t really know what to call their relationship. Aaron knew he cared deeply about her, but there was no way they could turn into something more than they are right now. His job wouldn’t allow it, not to mention he didn’t know how Emily felt. He obviously knew she cared about him to a certain extent, but Emily Prentiss seemed to be a girl who just wanted to have fun. He tried to let that thought not hurt him. 

_ “I’ll visit you.” He whispered to her one afternoon as they were laying in bed. She looked up at him, a small ,hmm?, falling from her lips.  _

_ “In Connecticut I mean. At Yale.” He spoke. Emily continued to run her fingers up and down his bare chest. She didn’t say a word.  _

_ “Ok,” She said hesitantly. Aaron frowned.  _

_ “I won’t if you don’t want me to..I just thought-” _

_ “No I want you to! It’s just-” She was cut off by his phone ringing. He sighed, rolling out of bed.  _

_ “Duty calls.” _

It was a Friday night when she flopped onto her bed, curling up into a small ball while tears escaped her eyes. She knew she looked ridiculous, pathetic even. Friday night she usually was out with her girlfriends, using a fake ID to get into clubs and flirting with guys to buy her free drinks. Yet here she was, crying in her bed over a boy. Crying over a boy who she never was supposed to fall for in the first place. She was scared, no, she was terrified at the realization. 

_ It was dinner time, and her mother insisted that everyone in the house ate together in the grand dining room. She knew why her mother had called a “family” dinner, but she didn’t want to think about it. Family meant her and the few other agents working under the Prentiss roof. Aaron took a seat across from her, smiling as he picked at the broccoli on his plate. She stared at him throughout dinner, not that he noticed. He was in deep conversation with another agent who sat next to him, she thinks the guy's name was Andrew? She wasn’t sure, but she knew that she didn’t care. She felt her eyes well up with tears as she looked at Hotch across from her. She was supid to try to repress her feelings. She loved him. She loved him so badly.  _

_ “Excuse me,” She spoke quickly, popping out of her chair and dropping her fork abruptly. Aaron looked at her in confusion as she rushed out of the room, her mother calling after her before giving up, going back to her meal.  _

Now she lay in her bed, crying because she was in love with Aaron Hotchner and she couldn’t do anything about it. She looked over to the suitcase on her floor, half packed, and her brand new passport laying on the floor next to it. She wiped her eyes, sitting up.  _ You have to be strong. Don’t lose sight of what’s important.  _ She thought to herself. Standing up, she walked over her closet and finished packing her bag. She didn’t let the tears stop flowing though. 

It was around 10 when she heard a faint knock on her bedroom door. She shot up from her bean bag chair, shoving her suitcase into the closet and slamming the door shut. She walked over, opening her door and becoming face to face with Hotch. 

“Hello,” He said simply, eyes sympathetic. 

“Hey,” She replied, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. Hotch blinked. 

“Can I come in?” He asked, pushing the door open farther with his hand. She moved to the side, allowing him to walk past her and into the bedroom. “You okay?” He asked. She sighed even though she knew the questions were coming. 

“Yeah. Just...girl stuff.” She was technically lying...crushes on boys did fall under girl stuff. Except this wasn’t just a crush. He nodded. Soon, his arms were engulfing her and she rested her head on his chest. 

“I like it when you hold me,” She spoke quietly. “Makes me feel safe.” Hotch was taken aback, the words feeling surprisingly intimate. She looked up at him and he took this as an invitation to kiss her hard. She moaned right away, pulling them towards her bed. They collapsed into the sheets, but this time it felt different. The air in the room seemed...lighter. Hotch was used to Emily biting him, tugging his hair, and screaming into oblivion. She almost always wanted it fast and hard. But tonight she was surprisingly soft, almost….loving. Hotch hovered over her, arms on either side of her head. He leaned down and kissed her slowly and senselessly. Her legs wrapped around his torso as her hands came up to cup his cheeks, her chest feeling as if it was going to explode. He began to pull her shorts down when she pulled away, looking into his eyes. She took her hands, grabbing his grey shirt and pulling it over his head. Soon they both were left in just their underwear, and Hotch was back to kissing her tenderly. 

“Hotch,” She spoke, pulling away. Her lips were deliciously swollen and red. 

“Hmm?” He hummed, and her eyes darted all over his face. 

“I-” Her chest was rising and falling quickly. “I think..” She licked her lips as he looked down, waiting for her to finish. She took a deep breath. “I love you.” It tumbled out of her lips before she could stop it. He sucked in a breath before a huge grin crept upon his face. 

“I love you too, Emily Prentiss.” She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, smiling as she slammed her lips against his. 

The sex they had that night was slow and tender,  _ I love you’s  _ falling off of each others lips as he slipped in and out of her. She became undone quickly, tears spilling from her eyes before she could hold them back. He followed suit, head in the crook of her neck. 

“I love you,” She whispered through sobs, and she didn’t think she could say it enough. “I love you and I’m scared.” Aaron kissed her neck, slipping out of her. 

“It’s okay...it’s okay.” She whispered, hand running through her hair. He adjusted them so that her head was resting on his chest. “Go to sleep baby.” He spoke. So she did. Her breathing slowed down, evening out. He lay there awake for another 20 minutes before he carefully slipped out of her arms, heading for the door. He had a 6am meeting the next morning and he didn’t want to wake her. Quietly, he slipped out the door and into the hall. Emily woke up to the noise of the door shutting and her heart twinged. 

“I’m so sorry,” She spoke into the darkness, a single tear running down her cheek before she fell asleep again. 

Aaron yawned into his palm as he walked out of the conference room. It was 9am and his meeting had just  _ finally  _ ended. He loosened his tie as he made his way back to his bedroom. His mind drifted to Emily and the night they had. He was practically on cloud nine, her “I love yous” playing on repeat in his mind. He couldn’t believe that she loved him.

Shedding his suit jacket, Aaron moved over to his desk to take off the gun he had strapped on his hip. He placed it down on the dark wooden table with a  _ thunk  _ when he noticed a CD case on the corner of his bed. Upon further inspection he saw it was “Jagged Little Pill” by Alanis Morisette, one of Emily’s favorites. She must have left it there when they spent a whole night sharing their favorite albums with each other. He picked it up, tucking it securely under his arm. This was a good excuse to see her so early in the morning. He made his way to her bedroom, knocking on the door twice. Quiet. He opened the door a crack, popping his head into her room. 

“Emily?” He called out. He was answered with silence. She is probably downstairs. “Emily?” he called out again. Still no reply. He checked the kitchen, study, bathroom, and garden before walking back inside. Her car was still in the driveway, so she had to be home. Walking up the stairs and into the main hallway, he walked past Elizabeth. “Ambassador!” He called out. She turned around. 

“Hotcher! I’m so glad I ran into you! I was just about to call you into my office,” She began, walking towards him. “You’re going to be happy to hear this, your workload will certainly be reduced.” He looked at her with a confused look. “No one told you?” She said suddenly when she saw how confused he looked. 

“No?”

“You’ll no longer need to be looking after Emily.” 

“What? Why? She wasn’t supposed to go back to Yale for another couple weeks.” 

“Emily isn’t attending Yale. She graduated early before she came home for the summer. I thought she told you that?” She blinked at him. He ran a hand through his hair, not following. 

“Where did she go?” He asked. He was so perplexed on why Emily never mentioned anything to him. 

“I'm afraid that’s classified,” She spoke slowly. 

“Classified?” 

“I’m not allowed to say where she went.”

“Well can I talk to her?”

“I’m afraid that there’s no contact allowed.” He sucked in a breath at The Ambassadors words. 

“I dont..I dont understand?” 

“Emily’s always been an extremely bright girl. I’m glad the government is putting her to use. I hope that clears some stuff up for you. I can’t discuss this any further.” And with that she walked away, leaving Hotch to stand in the hallway alone. He felt like he was in a dream. Emily was...gone? She was just with him hours ago. She was in his arms and he held her as she told him she loved her. And now he didn’t know where she was, and he wasn’t allowed to talk to her. He couldn’t believe it. He felt as if darkness was surrounding him and swallowing him whole. This couldn’t be real. 

The next month and a half were a blur. Hotch felt as if he was numb, and he hated it. Why was he so affected by her leaving? For Christ's sake they didn’t even date. He knew her for 4 months. Yet, he knew he loved her. The only thing that kept him sane was work. After Emily’s departure he dove into the piles of folders on his desk, working away. He went to The Ambassador asking for extra tasks and made sure to finish them quickly so he could ask for more. He even sucked up to Ambassador Elizabeth so she’d trust him with more things that usually didn’t fall under his workload. Aaron Hotchner was a natural workaholic, and his broken heart emphasized that. He didn’t want a free moment to think about Emily and how she’s gone. Distractions were good. Until they weren’t. There was always that moment when his head hit the pillow where he thought of her. It was only then he would allow himself to cry. Every Thursday (when they were supposed to watch movies) he found himself wandering back into Emily’s room and laying in her bed. He’d close his eyes and imagine her next to him, smoking a cigarette and fumbling with the TV remote. If he breathed deeply, he could still smell her shampoo on the pillowcases. He missed her. God he missed her. Sometimes he’d sit out in the garden in her favorite spot by the Rose bushes, looking up into the night sky.  _ Wherever you are, we’re looking at the same moon.  _ He imagined her looking up into the sky saying the same thing. 

It was October and the weather had cooled down significantly and the leaves of the trees were brown and orange. Aaron usually loved the spirit of the fall season, but this year it was a little hard to feel that spooky holiday cheer. He sat at his desk, multiple pieces of paper crumpled up around his desk. He tried to write her a letter. Nothing he wrote felt good enough. He reached over and stuck his hand into a plastic shopping bag, pulling out a card he’d bought earlier that day. On the front was a picture of a cat wearing a leather jacket and a party hat. It was so stupid, but he remembered how cats were Emily’s favorite animal. He opened it up, grabbing a pen from his collection. _Happy birthday._ _I miss you. I love you. -Hotch._ He sighed looking down at his writing. He didn’t want to write too much, as he didn’t know exactly what to say. His other attempted letters seemed too over the top, or there were so many words written down he didn’t even know what he was saying anymore. He just wanted to say what he knew was true. He sighed, shoving the card into the envelope and sealing it shut with a lick. Who even knew if this would get to her. He felt as if he was almost robotic standing up from his desk chair and walking to The Ambassador's office. Nothing he did these days felt real anymore. 

“Hotchner.” Elizabeth spoke as he stepped into her office. “I don’t have any more work for you today if that’s what you’re here for.” Aaron shook his head. 

“No Ma’am. I was actually wondering if you could give this to Emily.” He told her, holding out the envelope. 

“I don’t know-”

“It’s a card. For her birthday. She told me how her birthday is one of her favorite days so I just thought-”

“I’ll see what I can do.” She said, taking the card from his hands and placing it on her desk.

“Thank you Ma’am.” 

France was beautiful. Emily sat out on her balcony, a wool blanket wrapped around her as she looked down on the city. She brought a steaming cup of coffee up to her lips and took a long sip, letting the warmth of the drink spread through her. She couldn’t see the stars though. She missed that about being home. Well, that wasn’t the only thing she missed. She had a job to do, a job she was grateful for and a job she only dreamed of doing years prior. But that was before Hotch. She wasn’t stupid- she wasn’t going to let a man get in the way of her career, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. She missed him like crazy. Everyday she fell asleep with the thought of him. Every morning she’d wake up, sun peeking through the shades and casting shadows onto her bed. She’d stretch and reach for Aaron, except he wasn’t there. Everything would flood back to her then. He probably hated her, and that broke her heart. She so badly wanted to tell him she was leaving, but she couldn’t sacrifice the mission she’d been working towards. She sighed as she took another sip of coffee. The doors behind her creaked open, and she felt someone come up behind her. 

“Lauren, this came for you.” She turned around and looked at the source of the voice. A young man stood holding out an envelope. An envelope? Emily didn’t get mail. No one knew she was here except for her mother and obviously the people working the mission. 

“Thanks,” She replied, taking it from the man. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be inside in a minute.” He nodded and retreated back inside, away from the cold. God she hated that she had to sleep with this man, but that’s what the mission called for. She needed to get close to him, she needed for him to trust her so she could give information back to the United States. Some nights she imagined that it was Hotch touching her instead of him. It made it easier to deal with. Emily shook her head, the last thing she wanted to do was think about the mission. Not with this suspicious and mysterious envelope in her hands. She tore it open quickly, pulling out a card. She smiled looking down at the photo of the cat on the front. It was so stupid. Opening it slowly, her eyes saw the black ink and she recognized the handwriting immediately. She read the words over and over again, tracing her fingers over the ink. Soon her vision was blurry with her tears and droplets fell off her cheeks and onto the card.  _ I love you too. I love you too,  _ she whispered into the night. She heard the doors behind her open again and she swiftly put the card under her leg. 

“Who’s it from?” The man asked. 

“My mother. Just checking in.” She lied, pulling the blanket tighter around her body. She looked up to the sky again wiping her tears away. 

“Beautiful moon tonight.” he spoke. She looked at it, nodding. 

“Gorgeous.” 

Almost everyday since Emily received her birthday letter, she regularly checked the mail. Not only once, but multiple times a day...just to be sure. She’d check on her way to the garden, and check once more after tending to her flowers. She’d check it after dinner and before bed. She’d check after breakfast and during lunch. Yet, nothing came. Every night she’d pull the stupid cat card out from the back of her sock drawer and read it over and over again. Every day that passed she seemingly missed him more. She wished and prayed (not that she was religious) that another letter would come. Nothing ever came. 

“It’s been a pleasure to work with you Agent Hotcher.” Ambassador Prentiss said, shaking Aaron’s hand. He smiled and gave the woman a nod.

“Likewise.”

“I just know you’ll be an amazing prosecutor. Keep up the good work.” She shook his hand.

“Thank you Ma’am.” He let go of her hand, giving one final nod before stepping out of The Ambassador’s office and making his way to the front door. He took a deep breath as he stepped outside, mentally saying goodbye to the Prentiss estate. He was excited to start his new position as prosecutor, but he couldn’t help but feel sad leaving the place he called home for almost a year now. It wasn’t the same without her. So he left. He left the estate with The Ambassador inside it, who was his only connection to Emily. So in a way, he really was leaving Emily for good. 

She sat in her garden, picking purple and white flowers and carefully and placing them in a basket the rest on her arm. She’s been in France for god knows how long now. It’s been years. She’s fully adjusted to living as Lauren, and the work she’s done on her missions around the country have been crucial to the United States. She knew she was the youngest member of the CIA ever, wearing that badge with pride. Yet, a part of her still seemed missing. She didn’t think about him often anymore, her time in the states feeling like another life. There were some days though where the memories of him would sneak up on her, like when she was washing dishes or making her bed. She’d smile at the thought of him. She still missed him, but the pain wasn’t as bad anymore. As she grew up, she learned how to deal with things and compartmentalize. Some nights she’d fall asleep, imaging that he’s next to her, holding her like he did all those years ago. She still had the card in her drawer. She’d look at it ever so often, smiling at the stupid cat on the front. The edges of the card have been worn down over the years, so she made sure to take extra good care of it. It was a memory she didn’t want to lose. Shaking her head, she picked another flower and placed it in her basket. It didn’t do her any good to get lost in her memories of him. Sure, she allowed her mind to wander briefly...but the good memories soon reminded her that she left him with no explanation, not knowing if they would ever see each other again. When thinking about him, she found herself asking  _ what if I stayed?  _ She couldn’t ask herself that. She couldn’t go back in time and change anything, not that she exactly wanted to. She loved her job and she loved her life. She just had to lose someone she loved in the process of it all. 

**2006**

Everything seemed to be going to shit. Hotch closed his eyes as he leaned back in his desk chair. Everything that could be going wrong, was going wrong. One of his agents had murdered an unsub off duty before promptly quitting. He knew all the higher-ups in the unit had their eyes on his team. Not only that, but Haley had taken Jack in the middle of the night and left without a word. His workaholic tendencies hadn’t served him well this time around. Perhaps he knew this was coming, one foot had always been out the door when it came to Haley. When he found out she was pregnant he was ecstatic, hoping it would save their relationship in a way. He was naive to think that way. With a job like his there was no time for family. He tried to tell himself it would all work itself out. I guess some things in life just don’t work out. He felt guilty because he missed Jack. God he missed Jack like crazy, but he didn’t have the same urgency to see Haley. This made him feel like an asshole. 

“Sir, I was thinking that-” Aaron opened his eyes to see the youngest member of his team standing in the doorway. 

“Reid I’m sorry, I don’t think this is a good time.” He spoke. Reid noticed a sort of sadness in the man's eyes, so he backed off. Hotchner wasn’t usually the one to share personal matters with his team members, so when he told someone to back off- they listened. Nodding his head, he made his way back down to the bullpen. Looking out his office window that gave a view to all the desks below, he noticed Strauss walking into the room and over to the staircase in front of his office.  _ Dear god.  _ He rubbed his temples. Why did everyone need to talk to him today? 

It felt weird being back in America. She definitely missed it for sure, but still she felt slightly out of place. Her last mission had gone wrong and she had to do some risky things to save the people she loved. She still remembers the feeling she had in her chest when the back cars pulled up, grabbing her by the arms and shoving her in the back of the cruiser with guns pointed at her head. It was so longer safe for her in France anymore, so she died. Lauren Reynolds died in a car accident, and before she knew it she was Emily Prentiss again. It felt so odd. She hadn’t been Emily in years. When she landed in DC a few weeks ago she almost felt 19 again. Like she was picking up where she left off. Some higher-ups did some chatting, she attended multiple meetings, and it was decided that she would be joining the BAU. Emily was ecstatic over this, as it was always a dream of hers. This would also be a good chance to settle in and wind down. She laughed at the thought. A job that was made for hunting serial killers, rapists, and god knows what else didn’t really sound like “settling down”, but in her crazy life it definitely was. She was told by this woman named Strauss that she needed to use some of her skills to get information on the group for her, which would be easy considering she spent over 10 years being a spy. Even then though, the order felt kind of wrong. She told Strauss she would do it though, just to be part of the BAU. Just because she told Strauss she’d collect dirt didn’t mean she  _ actually  _ had to do it. Though she wasn’t 19 and a moody mess anymore, she still carried that edge and resilience with her. It got her far in the field too. She didn’t allow people to walk all over her. She looked at herself in the mirror as she smoothed down her grey skirt. She paired a simple navy blue sweater with it and a pair of black heels. It was simple yet she felt professional. She wanted to make a good first impression. She wasn’t sure what she was walking into, as Strauss was pretty vague with her. All she knew was that she needed to show up at FBI headquarters in Quantico at 8am sharp and that the BAU Unit Chief's office was right at the top of the first staircase. Her stomach flipped with nervousness as she grabbed her box of things and exited her new apartment. Whatever new challenges this job was going to bring her, she was ready to face it head on. 

“Agent Hotchner.”

“Strauss.” Aaron narrowed his eyes at her. Ever since he joined the BAU he had the feeling this woman didn’t like him. It didn’t bother him too badly though. He wasn’t the type of person that needed to be liked by everyone. He had a job to get done, and that was the only thing he cared about.

“Your new team member will be here in about,” she looked down at her watch. “Ten minutes. I hope you’ll welcome her with open arms.” Aaron placed his hands onto his desk, fingers gripping the edge of the wood so he wouldn’t ball his hands into fists. 

“New team member? I didn’t approve the transfer.” He began calmly. Strauss didn’t even blink. 

“I know. I did. I placed her in your unit because I feel as if she’ll be a fantastic asset. Her file is squeaky clean. Many people have very nice things to say about her.” 

“With all due respect, this is my team. I think I have a right to know who I'm accepting into my force. This job cannot function without trust.”

“I know that. I saw what happened with Agent Greenaway.” Aaron stayed silent at her comment. 

“You will accept Emily onto the team Agent Hotchner and that is final.” She demanded, mouth pressed into a thin line. He nodded as she turned around, leaving his office without a word.  _ Of course her name would be Emily.  _ He started out the window. He’s spent years trying to erase that name from his memory. His time working for Ambassador Prentiss felt like a lifetime ago. Was it stupid for him to say he felt as if his wounds from Emily leaving never healed correctly? He didn’t think about her often, but when he did he attempted to stop the memories right away. It hurt too badly. A lot of times he found himself wondering where she was, and if she was safe, or if she was happy. He thought back to a couple years prior, when Haley found out she was pregnant, they started going through names early on. 

_ “What about for a girl?” Haley asked him, looking out the window of their bedroom and grabbing her tiny bump with her hand.  _

_ “Huh, I’m not sure. I haven’t thought about girl names yet.” _

_ “What about Emily? I love the name Emily.” She spoke, spinning around with a huge smile on her face. Aaron sat still, face cold as stone. “Aaron?”  _

_ “No. Not Emily.” He said simply. Haley furrowed her brow.  _

_ “Why not? I think it’s adorable.” She tried to convince him. Aaron let out a frustrated breath.  _

_ “I said not Emily! Let it go and think of something else.” He huffed out, standing up and walking into the bathroom- slamming the door shut behind him.  _

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Agent Gideon walking past his office. 

“Gideon!” He called out. The older man stopping in Aaron’s doorway. 

“What’s up?”

“Did you approve a transfer?” He asked simply. 

“No...are we getting one?” Gideon asked.

“I guess so.” 

“Weird.” and with that Gideon was walking away, seemingly unbothered. Aaron stepped over to his door, shutting it quickly before drawing the blinds so no one could see inside. He needed peace and solitude before the new agent came. This was a lot to wrap his head around, considering he was already having a shitty day. Sitting back down at his desk, he opened a case file and began to read. His coping mechanism was work, and he didn’t plan on stopping that anytime soon. 

Around ten minutes later, he looked down at the watch on his wrist. The new agent should be here any minute. Coincidentally, a faint  _ knock knock knock  _ came from the other side of his door. He cursed under his breath before straightening out his tie and sitting up a little straighter in his chair. 

“Come in.” He called. His door creaked open and a woman with dark hair slipped inside. She was looking down at the box in her hands as she kicked the door closed behind her. 

“Hello, I’m Agent Emily Pr-” Her mind went blank as she looked up. Aaron shot up from his chair, almost forgetting how to breathe. In an instant Emily’s eyes were brimming with tears. The box in her hands slipped between her fingers, papers and other office supplies scattering all over the floor. Neither of them flinched. The silence in the room felt like it had been going on for years, neither of them knowing what to say. 

“Emily?” He finally questioned quietly. Walking around his desk, he found himself standing across from her. She looked almost the same, a little older of course, but she had a new level of maturity radiating off her. 

“Hotch?” She whispered. They both looked at each other as she blinked away her tears. Before she knew what she was doing she was stumbling into him, wrapping her arms around his body and nuzzling her face into his chest. He held her so tightly, like she was going to float away if he let go. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. As she whispered into his chest,  _ oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,  _ he let his eyes fall to the ground where all her stuff was spilled. As soon as his eyes saw it, he began to cry. There in the middle of case files and useless paperclips lay a birthday card with a stupid cat on the front. She had kept it all these years. His heart twisted at the sight. She never forgot about him. He was sure that she moved on with her life, that she told her girlfriends about the time she messed around with one of her Mother’s employees. He couldn’t believe she still had it.

“You didn’t forget about me.” He whispered.

“How could I forget about you Aaron Hotchner?” 


End file.
